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Tonight Pottstown “rocked out” with the holiday sounds of Twelve Twenty Four at the Sunnybrook Ballroom. If you have never heard of this group here is a synopsis in their own words:

“Established in 2002, 12/24 performs its Christmas music with a theatrical, rock edge and combines it with a narrated storyline to create a family friendly holiday show suitable for all ages. They are the first and foremost recreation of TSO and are making a name for themselves now with goals that aren’t stopping here.”

TSO stand for Trans-Siberian Orchestra if that acronym is unfamiliar to you. I had the pleasure of attending TSO’s holiday show last year at the Giant Center in Hershey, so I was interested in seeing how well Twelve Twenty Four took on the legendary Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Between the music and the light show, that’s a tall order.

The 22 member group did not disappoint! The large and enthusiastic crowd was very vocal in their appreciation of the stellar performance. Sunnybrook’s wonderful acoustics lend themselves very well to concerts. If you live anywhere near Pottstown, you should really take advantage of the concerts there. Tickets are very reasonably priced, the restaurant has excellent food and the parking is free and plentiful.

The group appears to be Luzerne County based, from what I could gather on their website, so they are not far away. They play many venues around Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond. This was their first trip to Pottstown. They complimented the crowd which leads me to think they might come back again 🙂 We can only hope!

In addition to covering TSO songs, they did some original material. They have just released their second CD, “Light in the Dark”. They also drifted away from the holidays for a few minutes and did an amazing version of “Barracuda” by Heart and “Hotel California” by the Eagles. We were also asked to take part in a sing-along of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Evidently, we did a good job based on the band’s comments. It was recorded so we might get put on their website.

The musicianship was first-rate. The instrumentalists and singers were superb. Co-founder Jason Santos is the principal composer and arranger for the group’s original material in addition to playing keyboards, guitar and singing. With a group this size, it is noteworthy to mention that everyone stood out in some way.

Here is a link to Twelve Twenty Four’s website: http://twelvetwentyfour.net/ There are music samples, videos and pictures on the website. In addition, you can order their CD’s or buy downloads.

The concert lasted two hours and 35 minutes. It’s divided into two parts. Their new Christmas production, The Lost Christmas Eve and then after an introduction of the band and singers, they played a string of their songs from previous albums. They ended with their Carol of the Bells/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen mash-up (which gets played on the radio a great deal this time of year).

Musically, I think they are superb. Their level of talent is phenomenal and the music speaks for itself. What you miss out on by not seeing them live is their incredible stage production. All is can say is, WOW! Lasers, strobes, fog, fire, pyrotechnics, elevated platforms and musicians running through the audience playing, is just some of what you can expect. It is sensory overload, but in a good way. I just saw Australian Pink Floyd at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA last month. They have an amazing stage production and laser light show but it was nothing like what we were treated to by TSO! This was Pink Floyd on steroids!

The crowd was into it and TSO really fed off of our energy. They were doing a second show at 8:00 pm! People were waiting to get in as we were leaving. I bet they get an equally great show. You can tell this group of musicians loves what they do! They were having a great time entertaining us.

The tickets were very reasonably priced and my friends and I felt we got great value for our money based on the length of the show, the stage production and quality of the music.

I give two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to TSO and highly recommend you go to one of their concerts if you are a fan. You won’t be sorry!